US President Donald Trump on Thursday warned of possible firings if the ongoing government shutdown continues, while blaming Democrats for the standoff and hinting at “big plans” for the 2026 midterm elections.
In an interview with the OAN network, Trump defended his hardline approach, saying Democrats in Congress were responsible for the crisis. “There could be firings, and that’s their fault,” he said, referring to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget suggesting permanent job cuts. He added that favored Democratic projects could be “permanently cut.”
“I am allowed to cut things that should never have been approved in the first place—and I will probably do that,” Trump said.
The president also touted revenues from new tariffs, claiming they could reach $1 trillion annually and be used to pay down the US government’s ballooning $38 trillion debt. He suggested some of the tariff revenue could be returned to Americans as rebates.
Looking ahead, Trump hinted at major political plans. Asked about campaigning for GOP candidates in 2026, he said, “I have big plans, I want to survive… the rhetoric that these crazy Democrats are using is very dangerous. They’ve made politics very dangerous.” His remarks come after two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign and the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On Truth Social, Trump called the funding lapse a “Democrat-forced closure” and urged Republicans to “use this opportunity to clear out dead wood, waste and fraud,” promising billions in savings.
White House officials signaled that mass layoffs could follow, with cuts likely to target infrastructure projects in Democratic-leaning areas.
This marks the first US government shutdown since 2019. At the center of the deadlock are subsidies under the Affordable Care Act: Democrats want them extended, while Republicans demand a “clean” funding bill without what they call policy riders.
The impasse threatens to furlough up to 750,000 federal employees, disrupt essential services, and deal a major blow to the US economy.
